By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Human Relations Commission heard from former Human Relations Officer Datjaeda Moore during their meeting on Wednesday.
Moore resigned after being suspended for what City Manager Jeff Cantrell said were a number of violations of the employee handbook. Moore says the change in leadership in the city with the hiring of Cantrell brought the position of the Human Relations officer into change as well.
“My biggest concern was that I was hired to one particular job,” Moore said. “Once leadership changed, that job, too, was now questioned and changed.”
Moore's position was brought into question during the budget discussion since it was just part-time. Some felt that the position and the cost wasn’t justified due to the number of claims coming in. But the Hutchinson City Council pushed to make the job a full-time position, and when an outside agency initially offered to fund the difference, Moore's duties were expanded to include more outreach along with enforcement.
Moore was suspended for what Cantrell said was a violation of the employee handbook. The initial incident involved Moore using her position to campaign for Representative Jason Probst who had worked with Moore on several programs to better relations within the city.
“I was informed that I was in error by speaking on behalf of one of our community representatives on the work we had done together within the community,” Moore said. “My misstep and my error was that I assumed that me utilizing my title was appropriate given the level and the autonomy of the Human Relations position. I was told that the title technically belonged to and is in ownership of the city and I was not to utilize it in a public campaign.”
Moore says she owns up to the mistake but was not given a chance to correct it before she was suspended.
“I take that as feedback, or criticism of the work that I’m doing, and I don't mind taking criticism,” Moore said. “Instead of having the opportunity to fully correct the error, I was immediately put in a disciplinary path.”
Human Relations Commission Chair Dave Sotelo expressed his frustration about Moore's resignation during Wednesday’s meeting and expressed the need to keep things she put in place moving forward.
“What the hell is the process that we are to follow now that you’re not here?” Sotelo said. “My goal is that we continue that work. I don’t want to throw the work and the passion and the skills that you provided for us away.”
Moore went on to say that the position she held could not function the way it needs to under the guidelines of the city rules and regulations and that the ordinance in place could not be enforced the way it is intended to.
“One of the reasons that the officer, I believe was structured the way that it was, was to operate in an autonomous space that allowed for full review and fair review of all policies within the city and within the area in which the city resides,” Moore said. “There is no room for a city employee to thoroughly evaluate policies from their manager and feel safe to do so. The operations and the administration of the ordinance should be the sole focus of the HRO."
Moore also said that work needs to be done to build more trust in the community on all sides, but that it won't come quickly.